The scribe who approaches Jesus in the text from
the Gospel of Mark in the Roman Catholic Lectionary is described by Friar JudeWinkler as one who is seeking truth rather than trying to trap or ridicule
Jesus. The response of Jesus to the question of the greatest commandment
reminds us of The Shema, the central prayer of the Jewish prayer book, wherein
the One God is to be loved with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength. Friar
Jude reminds us that the heart is more in Jewish understanding than the centre
of emotion in western culture. It is the place of deep decision making and
reason to the people of Jesus time. The traditional great commandments are
means which continue to bring us close to the kingdom of God. As the scribe
understood and we can contemplate, the Kingdom provides guidance and direction
to the members. The Great Commandments are the direction. In prayer and respect
for God, the fortunes of Tobias and Sarah, in the passage from the Book of
Tobit, are reversed from death and despair. The psalmist praises the gift from
God of family which is fully appreciated by the people who walk in the way of
the Lord. The daily prayer, Shema Israel, orients life to be about love and
opens the mind for all the help from God to dwell in His Kingdom.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment